Join the Conversation

Stricker to enter world of women's MMA

Emily Ham Price
8:48 p.m. CDT August 17, 2014

Kayla Stricker, 20, throws a jab while demonstrating her technique at Revolution Fitness in Hattiesburg. Stricker will enter the ring in her first MMA fight Saturday in Meridian.(Photo: Kelly Price-Hattiesburg American, Kelly Price/Hattiesburg American)

Whether it's becoming a state champion cross-country runner, dominating the soccer field or earning a black belt in Taekwondo, Stricker has excelled in any sport she's tried.

This weekend, the 20-year-old will enter uncharted territory as she takes her natural agility and learned martial arts skills into the cage for her first mixed martial arts fight.

"To be honest, I'm nervous, and as it gets closer, I'm more nervous," she said. "But everybody is telling me it's going to be fine and to just go in there."

Stricker said her biggest fear going into the cage isn't the jabs, cross hooks, kicks or grapples she'll encounter, but all the eyes that will be watching.

"They do say the crowd is going to get to me, and I'm a shy person in general around a big crowd," she said. "But I've grown out of it a little bit, so I'm going to try to keep my cool."

Stricker said a year ago she would have never considered entering the world of mixed martial arts, but she was encouraged by fellow martial artists to give the popular sport a try.

"I've watched Ronda Rousey and I've watched Miesha Tate and UFC things on TV shows, and I've enjoyed watching it, but I was just like, 'If I ever got in the cage I wouldn't know what to do,' " she said.

However, recently Stricker said she began to consider MMA as an appropriate next step to continue building and honing her martial arts skills.

"I've been doing karate ever since I was younger, and I grew up doing Taekwondo," she said. "I've trained on the ground and up, and I went to a tournament recently and the guys were like, 'I want to see you in the cage.' … They said, 'Just try it once, and if you don't like it, you don't have to keep on.'

"So, I decided to try it, and after this fight, I'll decide if I want to move on with it or not."

Stricker said she initially began her training while she was running on William Carey University's cross-country team, but decided to put her MMA dream on the back burner to focus on her college sport.

"Now that I'm not doing that anymore, we decided to focus on something different because I've done it all," she said. "God's given me the talent to do a lot of stuff, so maybe he'll show me something in this direction with MMA. … Maybe he'll take me a step further and bless me in what I'm doing now."

Stricker's father, John Stricker, said he wasn't surprised when his daughter approached him about MMA training.

"My kids try everything," he said. "I think she ought to try it and see if she likes it. Whatever any of my kids do, I want them to do it 100 percent. I'll stand behind them."

Stricker said for about three months she's been dropping her weight from 127 to 117 for her upcoming match. She's also been learning MMA techniques and working with her trainer Mike Frazier at his school in Morton and at Hattiesburg's Revolution Fitness.

"She's done real well," Frazier said. "I wanted to make sure she had at least two or three months of training, and I already knew where she was as far as ability."

Frazier, the head instructor of the Morton Church of God Martial Arts Academy, said normally his students wouldn't be entering the ring after such a short training period, but Stricker was a special case.

"Usually, I have to bring (my students') cardio up to a level that it needs to be, and they need to be physically fit," he said. "She's had enough of the basics and worked on that for years. … Her daddy has made sure all of their kids have physical fitness. That family is awesome as far as the physical abilities that they all have."

Frazier said while Stricker was physically fit when she arrived for MMA training, she was still a blank slate that needed to be taught techniques that would protect her in the cage.

"What I've done is I've gone in, and added more takedowns, and I've went over a lot of takedown defenses to keep them from putting her to the ground," he said. "We're covering the overall gambit of MMA."

Stricker said her training with Frazier has proven invaluable.

"I enjoy my trainers," she said. "They help me out a lot. They give me a little bit of confidence because the people I train with have done MMA fights before. They are telling me what to expect and what all is going to happen."

Stricker said whether she's training with Frazier or her father, MMA training has taught her life skills.

"Firstly, it has taught me when someone hits me to not all of a sudden be mad at them and go after it because I know that only tears me down more," she said. "It's been teaching me to keep my cool. I'm going to get popped a couple of times, but I have to come back strong and not get so mind-blown about it and start attacking people. … But when someone hits me, it clicks something on, and I'm like, 'OK, I have to fight.' I can't just let it happen."

Frazier said it's his mission to prepare Stricker for what she'll experience in the cage Saturday.

"I try to groove in her brain what technique goes with what technique," he said. "MMA is a lot more dangerous for someone than just a karate tournament. I have really been dealing with trying to prepare her for what she might have to go through with this thing. She gets her bell rung a few times, and she's an aggressive fighter and very good at what she does."

Saturday night, Stricker will face off against MMA fighter Ronda Russell in Meridian as part of Strikehard 35.

"If she can keep her emotions under control out there and use her head and listen to me in the corner, I think she will be good," Frazier said. "Kayla is sharp. I believe there is a place today for women's MMA, and she has decided that this is what she wants to do, and hopefully it will be something she will be successful at."

At a glance

Kayla Stricker

Women's MMA fighter

• Age: 20

• Height: 5 feet 2 inches

• Weight: 117

• Education: Oak Grove High School and William Carey University

• Training: Taekwondo (black belt) and Christian Do

If you go

Strike Hard Productions Mixed Martial Arts

Strikehard 35

• Time: 7 p.m. Saturday

• Location: Multi-Purpose Building at Meridian Community College

• Tickets: $30-$62.50 with special pricing for table seating and children's tickets